Signature-gatherer.



E. R. KAST.

SIGNATURE GATHERER. APPLICATION FILED AUG-31-I9I2- 1,287,334. Patented Dec. 10, 1918.

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E. R. KAST.

SIGNATURE GATHERER.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 31.1912- 1,28'7,334. Patented De0.10, 1918.

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SIGNATURE GATHERER.

APPLICATION FILED Aue.3|.19|2.

Patented Dec. 10, 1918.

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SIGNATURE GATHERER.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.3l.19l-2.

Patented Dec. 10, 1918.

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SIGNATURE GATHERER.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.3I. I912.

Patented Dec. 10, 1918.

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SIGNATURE GATHERER.

APPLICATION FILED AUG-3|. 1912.

Patented Dec. 10, 1918.

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SIGNATURE GATHERER. APPLICATION FILED AUG-31.1912.

Patented Dec. 10, 1918.

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SIGNATURE GATHERER.

APPLICATION FILEDIAUG.3I. I912.

1,287,334. Patented Dec. 10, 1918.

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APPLICATION FILED AUG.3I. 1912- 1,287,334. Patented Dec.10, 1918.

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SIGNATURE GATHERER.

APPLICATION man AUG.3I. 19:2.

Patented Dec. 10, 1918.

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SIGNATURE GATHERER.

APPLICATION FILED A.uG.31.|9l2.

1,287,334. Patented Dec.10, 1918.

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SIGNATURE GATHERER.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 31. I9I2.

Patented Dec. 10, 1918.

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SIGNATURE GATHERER.

APPLLCATION FILED AUG. 3|. 1912.

1,287,334. Patnt-ed Dec.10, 1918.

I6 SHEETSSHEET l6- UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDWARD R. KAST, 0F BALTIMORE, MARYLAND, ASSIGNOR TO KAST INSETTIN'G AND GATHERING MACHINE COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE.

SIGNATURE-GATHERER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed August 31, 1912. Serial No. 718,062.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD R. KAs'r, of Baltimore, Maryland, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Signature- Gatherers, which invention is fully set forth in the following specification.

The present invention relates to machines for assembling and stitching signatures, and the particular object of the invention is to provide a machine in which the operation of the stitching mechanism or mechanisms is controlled from a calipering device; that is to say, when the assembled signatures that pass under the calipering device are for any reason defective, the stitching mechanism or mechanisms will be automatically disconnected upon the passage of said defective book, and if more than one stitching mechanism is employed said mechanisms will be successively disconnected. The invention further resides in the provision of an automatic delivery provided with means controlled by said calipering mechanism whereby the defective book or books are automatically delivered in a separate path from that of the good books.

Preferably the means for assembling signatures is that shown, described and claimed in my Patent No. 1,236,181, but it is to be understood that any other means for assembling signatures will suflice. In my patent above referred to, a calipering device is shown associated with each hopper containing signatures, said calipering device acting to automatically stop the machine should the withdrawing mechanism with draw more or less than the predetermined number of signatures or a defective signature. The present invention further resides in the provlsion of means for absolutely insuring the delivery of perfect books, by the employment of a calipering device which engages the assembled signatures, so that if, for any reason, any one of the calipering mechanisms associated with the respective hoppers should have failed to perform its function, the calipering device acting on the assembled signatures constituting the book will disconnect the stitching mechanism or mechanisms as the defective book passes the same.

The invention further resides in numerous improvements that are illustrated in the drawings, and that will be hereinafter described and claimed.

The invention will be more fully understood by reference to the accompanying drawings, illustrating one expression of the inventive idea, and wherein- Figures 1 and 1 are a side elevation of the machine, one hopper for signatures and its associated mechanism, such as described and claimed in my Patent No. 1,236,181 being shown;

Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the machine showing the delivery;

Fig. 3 is an end elevation of the mechanism for assembling the signatures, showing particularly the arrangement of the driving means;

Figs. 4 and 4* are a detached perspective view illustrating, among other things, the power connections to the various parts of the machine;

Fig. 5 is a detail showing in front elevation the calipering mechanism that acts on the assembled signatures, and associated parts;

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the same;

Fig. 7 is a view similar to Fig. 5, looking in the opposite direction;

Fig. 8 is an end elevation looking toward the right in Fig. 7;

Figs. 9, 9* and 10 are details;

Fig. 11 is a detail perspective, illustrating a device for alining the assembled signatures as they pass along the saddle;

Fig. 12 is a detached perspective view, illustrating the saddle and the relation of a number of signatures thereon, a six-hopper insetting machine being indicated;

Fig. 13 is a cross-section, partly in elevation, and some of the parts removed for the sake of clearness on the line 1313, Fig. 4;

Fig. 14 is a cross-section, partly in elevation, on the line 1414, Fig. 13;

Fig.- 15 is a detail, in longitudinal section, of part of the means for disconnecting the stitching mechanisms:

Fig. 16 is a perspectiveview of a pawl;

Figs. 17 and 18 are deta1l views, in eleva- Patented Dec. 10, 1918.

tion, illustrating the switch that controls the path of discharge of good and defective books;

Fig. 19 is a plan view of part of the delivery mechanism;

Fig. 20 is a transverse section on the line 2040, Fig. 19:

Fig. 21 is a detail of part of the mechanism for setting the stops at the delivery; Figs. 22, 23 24, 25 and 26 are details, illustrating the dogs that engage the books to feed them along the saddle; and Fig. 27 is a partial front elevation showing several of the hoppers and the associated individual calipers.

Referring to the drawings, wherein similar letters of reference indicate like parts, 31 is the frame of the machine of any suitable or desired construction. Any suitable means may be employed for supplying power to the machine, which means are here shown in the form of an electric motor 32 driving belt 33 which acts, through a pulley 34 and shaft 35, to drive a pinion 36 which in turn acts through gear 37 and pinion 38 on countershaft 39 to drive a gear 40 on shaft 41. Bevel gears 42 and 43 are keyed to said shaft. The former acts through bevel gear 44 to impart motion to shaft 45, and the latter acts, through bevel gear 46t0 impart movement to vertical shaft 47. Sprocket wheels 48 and 49 are also mounted on said shaft, sprocket wheel 48 driving shaft 49, which is associated with the calipering mechanism hereinafter described, through sprocket chain 50 "and sprocket wheel 51 mounted on said shaft 49'; and sprocket wheel 49 drives conveyer chain 52, provided with pins 53, which chain is associated with the inverted V-shaped saddle 54. Said chain passes around a sprocket 55 (Fig. 1*), adjustable in a slot 56 in the frame of the machine, in order to lengthen or shorten said chain.

On one end of shaft 35 through which power is transmitted to the whole machine. is a hand-wheel 57 by which the parts of the machine may be manually moved or adjusted to any desired position.

Any suitable or desired mechanism for assemblin the signatures may be employed, but pre erably that shown and described in my Patent No. 1,236,181 is used. In the accompanying drawings (Figs. 1 3 and 27) are shown a plurality of hoppers 58, any desired number being employedgthe signatures deposited on the saddle'54 from one hopper being carried along said saddle by the conveyor chain 52 under the next hopper where said signature is inset in a signature from the second hopper, and so on throughout the machine. As herein illustrated, the lowermost signature in the hopper is drawn downward by means of suitably-operated oscillating sucker mouths 59,

memes-a connected to a. source of suction (not shown) by pipes 60 and 61. The signature thus drawn downward is seized by its folded edge by a series of signature-withdrawing devices 62 and said signature is thus withdrawn from the bottom of the pile. The withdrawing devices are preferably in the form of seim-cylindrical surfaces keyed to the shaft 63, to which motion is applied from vertical shaft 47 through bevel gears 64 and 65, gripping fingers carried by said surfaces acting to clamp the signature and to release the same at the proper time, as fully set forth in my said Patent No. 1,236,181..

The signature having been withdrawn from the hopper, it falls from the signature-withdrawing device onto a plurality of belts 66 which preferably carry said signature between two sets of oppositely-rotating wheels 67, one set of which is shown in Fig. 1, provided on their peripheries with suction mouths 68 which apply suction to the respective folds of the signature, thus opening the same and depositing it On the saddle 54 along which it is carried by conveyer chain 52. Motion is imparted to said signature opening wheels from shaft 47 through bevel gears 69 and 70, shaft 71 and bevel gears 72 and 73, the latter being carried by hollow shaft 74 on which are mounted one set of signatureopening wheels. Reverse movement is imparted to hollow shaft 75 on which is mounted the other set of signature opening wheels by suitable gearing, one of the gears being shown at 76 in Figs. 1 and 3. As the particular mechanism for assembling the signatures forms no part of the present invention, the means for withdrawing the signatures from the hopper, opening the same and depositing them on the saddle 54 need not be more fully described, it being sufficient to indicate that the preferred form of mechanism for these purposes is shown, described and claimed in my application above referred to.

Preferably when the signature-assembling mechanism illustrated in my Patent No. 1,236,181 is employed, I associate with each one of the signature-withdrawing devices a calipering device, so that if more or less than the predetermined number of signatures is withdrawn from the hopper, or if a defective signature is Withdrawn, this calipering device will act to automatically stop the machine by suitable mechanism, at the same time indicating, by a signal 77 (Fig. 3) at which hopper the attention of the operator is required. When such caliperinodevices are employed, they are preferably those described and claimed in my Patent No. 1.039.541. dated Sept. 24th. 1912..

and as the specific form of said calipering devices which are associated with each hopper constitutes no part of the present ingagement of the vention, they need not be more specifically fected when the pawl a engages the arm or lug b. The signal 77 is thrown by the enpawl a with the arm or lug C; a

Operation of calipering meckam'sviz..1n order to guard against the passage ofa defective book, which might be caused by an oversight of the operator, or the fact that a signature which is withdrawn from the hopper is not placed on the saddle, and to insure the delivery from the machine of perfect books, I provide a calipering means in association with the saddle 5 1; which engages the assembled signatures as they pass from under the last hopper, on their way to the stitching mechanism. As here shown the calipering member that engages the assembled signatures is a roller 78 which normally is slightly elevated above said saddle 54 to permit the easy passage thereunder of the said signatures (Fig. 8). In order to prevent the frictional engagement of said roller with thesignatures from retarding the movement of the books, when said roller has been lowered, as hereinafter described, said roller is associated with a positively driven roller 79 which is rotated through bevel gears 80 and 81, the latter being mounted on one end of shaft 82 the other end of which carries gear 83 which meshes with gear 84 mounted on shaft 11' (Fig. 3). Pivotally mounted at 85 oirdepending arms 86 attached to the machine frame (Figs.' 5, 6, 7 and 8) is a bell-crank lever 87 the short arm, of which carries said roller 78. The upwardly projecting arm 88 of said bell-crank lever has a pin and slot co1mection with a link 89 which in turn con- 'nccted to a rocking bell-crank lever, pivoted at 90 to the frame of the machine, the short arm 91 of said lever being connected to the on its outer end a laterally projecting.

squared lug 96 (see Fig. 9).

Mouutedto reciprocate on the frameworkof the. machine is a movable member,-

suelras a T-shaped slide 97, which is held in place to reciprocate in suitable ways bv means of a plate 98, and which has formed in its upper surface, and. on the opposite end from the T, a transverse groove 99, Fig. le ver 100, pivoted at 101 to the framework of the machine. projects upward, and

on its upper end has a pawl 102 having a rounded nose engaging in the groove 99 on the sliding T-bar 97. Mounted on revolving shaft 49 is a cam 103 which engages lever 100, preferably through the medium of a friction roll 1041. A spring 105 tends to throw -thelever 100 from left to right (as seen in Fig. .6), and hold the lever in operative engagement with the 'cam 103. A spring 106 yieldingly holds the pawl 102 in engagement with the groove 99, and 107 is a spring normally tending to elevate the arm 95 of the bell-crank lever 9195.

On one side of the sliding-T-bar97 there is formed a groove 108 the @iensions of whichare such as to just receive freely and easily the squared lug 96 on the end of the lever 95 when a perfect book passes under the calipering roller 78. On the other side of said sliding T-bar 97 is a lug 109 provided with a curved or cam surface, the function of which will be hereinafter explained.

' Mounted on shaft 49' is a pinion 110 which rotates therewith and meshes with a gear 111 which is twice as large as said with each pin 116 and is adapted to engage one of said grooves to yieldingly hold the pin 116 in the desired position. The normal position of said pins 116 is illustrated in full lines in Fig. 10, but under normal conditions, that is to say, when perfect books are passing under the calipering roller 78, the

. rotation of said gear 111 and the reciprocation of said slide 97 are so timed that lug 109 and pins 116 will not engage one another. Said ealipering roller 78, as above indicated, and as clearly shown in Fig. 8, slightly clears the surface of its companion roller 79 to permit the assembled signatures constituting the book to pass there-under. It is maintained in this position as long as roller 118 (see Fig. 7) which is mounted on slotted lever 119 pivoted at'120 to arm 88. engages the unbroken surface of cam 121 mounted on sh'aft 4.9. As soon, however, as,

the cut-away portion 122 ofvsaid cam is engaged by said roller 118. arm 88 will be rocked toward the left (Fig. 7 i on pivot 85 under the influence of spring 123, one end of which is connected to arm 88 and the other anchored to the imrchine-frame, thus firmly applying the roller to said cut-away portion for a limited part of the movement of the assembled signatures under the calipering roller 7 8.

If, at the time the roller 118 engages cutaway portion. 122, a defective bookfor example, one having an insuliicient number of signaturesis passing under calipering roller 78, the arm 95 is slightly lowered, so that the squared shoulder 124 (Fig. 9) of the groove 108 on the sliding bar 97 is engaged by the lug 96, and the sliding T-bar 97 is thus held against movement. On the other hand, if, at this time, the assembled signatures are numerically greater than the predetermined number, arm 95 will be rocked upwardly under the influence of spring 107, and lug 96 will engage the squared shoulder 125 of said T-bar 97, and said bar will be held against movement.

When the sliding bar is restrained from movement, by reason of the passage of a defective book under roller 78, the action of the cam 103 in forcing the lever 100 to the left (Fig. 6) causes the rounded nose on the pawl 102 to release its hold on the groove 99, the spring 106 yielding for this purpose, and the nose of the pawl then travels rearward on the upper face of the T-bar. At this time lug 109 is maintained stationary in the path of rotation of pins 116 carried by gear 111. and accordingly when the first pin 116 engages the cam surface of said lug 109, said pin will be moved to the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 10, the spring-pressed pin 117 being forced out of the annular groove 126 provided around the middle of pin 116, thereafter engaging groove 127 and holding the pin 116 in said dotted line position. If the next book is a perfect one, it will be understood that, upon the succeeding oscillation of arm 100, pawl 102 will again engage recess 99 and slide 97 will again be caused to reciprocate. If, however, the next book is also defective, lug 109 will remain in the path of movement of pins 116, and will, upon the succeeding rotation of shaft 49, move the other pin 116, carried'by said gear 111, in the manner above described.

Pivoted at 128 to the frame of the ma chine is a curved lever 129, which has associated therewith a lateral guide 130 and an adjustable screw 131, the function of the latter being to limit the movement of said lever. At its free end said lever is connected to one end of a link 132, the other end of said link being connected to one end of a lever 133 (Fig. 4 pivoted at 134 to the machine frame, the other end of said lever 133 being connected to a pin 135 the position of which determines whether or not the stitching mechanisms are in or out of operation. A spring 136 connected at one end to link 132 and at its other end to the frame of the machine, normally maintains said pin in the position shown in Fig. 4 (5. 6., pro- :uasneee traded to the left) to insure the operation of the stitching mechanism. When, however, one of the pins 116 is moved to the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 10, the continued rotation of gear 111 will force said pin into engagement with lever 129, thereby rocking the same and, through the connections described, moving pin 135 for disconnecting the stitching mechanism or mechanisms. As soon as pin 116' has rocked lever 129, it engages in a cam groove or depression 137 provided on the inside of .said lever (Fig. 8) thus causing said pin to again assume the position shown in full lines in Fig. 10.

Automatic operation of stitching mecham'sm.-T he driving of the stitching mechanism or mechanisms and the automatic disconnection of the same is efi'ected by the following means, reference being had particularly to Figs. 4 13, 14, 15 and 16:

As here shown, two wire stitchers of any suitable construction are employed, though it will be understood that one or a greater number than two might be employed. Power is applied to the shafts 138 of said stitchers by means of sprocket chain 139 passing around sprocket wheels 140 and 141 on the respective shafts 138 of the two stitchers, said sprockets 140 and 141 being carried by sleeves 142 loosely mounted on said shafts 138. Sprocket chain 139 also engages sprocket wheel 143 carried by shaft 144 which is rotated from shaft 45 through bevel gears 145 and 146 and gear 147 and pinion 148 or gear 149 and pinion 150, said pinions being mounted on shaft 144 and said gears 146, 147 and 149 on a shaft 150.

On shaft- 138 of each stitcher is keyed a collar 151 on which is pivoted at 152 a pawl 153 provided with an enlarged laterallyextending rear portion 154 (Fig. 16). Power is applied to shafts 138 through said pawls 153. and in Fig. 14 the parts are shown in the position they occupy when the stitchcrs are operating, the nose 155 of said pawl at this time engaging in a recess 156 in casting 142, a spring 157 tending to hold the parts in this position. Pivoted at 158 to a bracket 159 is a lever 160 which, near its upper end, is provided with a finger 161 that projects laterally through a slot 162 in a recessed member 163. preferably integral with the frame, in which member slides a pin 164 engaged by a spring 165. Normally said pin 164 occupies the position shown in full lines in Fig. 13, at which time it is out of the path of movement of pawl 153, but when a defective book passes under the stitcher said pin 164 is moved out into the path of movement of said pawl, whereupon the tail 154 of said pawl is engaged by said pin, thus removing the nose 155 from recess 156 in casting 142, and disconnecting shaft 138 from the power. 

